58

Chapter 58:

– Selene –

Her daughter Valerie was still unconscious, slumped over the back of the demonic camel as they tore through the dim-lit streets of Lilith. Selene kept one arm firmly wrapped around the girl to keep her from slipping off with every jolt of Cami-chan's thundering stride. The devils behind them had finally caught up, or at least started trying to.

A squad of them had taken to the air, wings slicing through the smoky night as they gave chase. Shouts echoed behind them—angry, indignant cries from furious devils.

"You won't escape justice!"

"That camel abomination won't outrun the wrath of the Phenex Clan!"

"You dared assault nobility—prepare to be enslaved for thousands of years!"

Runeas Gremory was near the front hump, laughing like a lunatic. Her pink eyes shimmered. "They're still trying to follow us? This is fucking great!"

Selene's attention, however, was fixed entirely on Valerie. Her brow furrowed as she noticed just how pale the girl looked—and not her usual vampire pale. This was sickly, strained.

She pressed her palm to Valerie's forehead—and immediately hissed in pain, jerking her hand back. Her fingertips sizzled, the flesh red and steaming.

She glanced down, flexing the hand. Blisters formed, then quickly healed thanks to her regeneration, but the sensation lingered. "What the hell…" she muttered. "Is she sweating boiling holy water?"

She'd seen Valerie go through some weird stuff before, but this? This was something else. A transition? An awakening? 

"She's burning up," Selene said aloud, voice low and tight. "Whatever the hell this is, we need to get her somewhere safe. We need a place to lay low for a few hours so my daughter can ride out... whatever transition or evolution she's going through."

Runeas pouted dramatically, twisting around to face her with a small, annoyed whine. "Ughhh, really? I was just starting to have fun! I haven't had this much excitement in centuries." Her expression softened when she looked at Valerie's limp form, though. "Fine. Fine! You win. But only because she's cute."

Selene's eyes narrowed instantly. "Don't even think about it."

Runeas blinked. "Think about what?"

"Dating my daughter. She's far too young for you, and you're... well, you." And yes, Selene meant that as an insult.

Runeas gasped in mock offense. "I don't date, Vampire. I hit it and quit it!" Then she smirked again, this time with more heat. "But for a stunning little dhampir like her? I could be convinced to stick around. A decade. Maybe a century or two if she's really good."

Selene stared blankly. "I will shoot you..."

"Awww... Fine. But only because you're also really hot with that angry glare." Runeas turned back to the front and threw her hand up. "Alright, Cami-chan! Hit the afterburners, baby!" Then she gave Selene a sharp-toothed smirk over her shoulder. "Hang on tight, Ice Queen."

Selene didn't have time to respond. Her instincts screamed as the camel beneath them surged forward like a rocket. The air cracked, thunder following immediately as Cami-chan broke the sound barrier. Shockwaves burst down the street behind them, shattering windows and sending bystanders tumbling like bowling pins.

Selene gritted her teeth, tightening her grip on Valerie with one arm and the camel's saddle with the other. The heat from the girl's body made her skin sting, but she didn't let go.

Glass exploded all around them as they raced through the city like a comet. Every devil behind them vanished into the distance in seconds.

Selene let out a hard breath. "Why the hell didn't we do this from the start?"

Runeas threw her head back and cackled. "Because that would've been boring, obviously! What's the point of a chase if we just win right away?"

– Casim –

Casim was one of the guard captains of Lilith's city watch—a mid-class devil who had clawed his way up from dirt with no noble blood to lean on. He was the kind of guy who always followed orders without question, not because he gave a shit about loyalty, but because defying a noble was career suicide in the Underworld.

So when the Phenex Clan put out an emergency alert claiming that Riser Phenex had been nearly assassinated by a rogue Gremory bastard and two vampire slaves, Casim didn't hesitate. He was one of the first to bark orders and rally a squad.

Not because he cared about Riser personally. If DevilNet was to be believed, Riser was a flaming pile of entitlement and ego wrapped in expensive cologne. No, Casim saw something better: opportunity. Bagging the culprits might mean a real promotion—maybe even high-class status. 

And with that came the best prize of all: an Evil Piece set. His own peerage. His own collection of gorgeous women bound to him for eternity!

He was already excited just thinking about sneaking up to the human world and abducting some beauties for himself! Of course, none of his choices would be able to say NO. He'd just kill them and reincarnate them as his slaves if they did anyway.

He adjusted his gauntlets with a sharp grin as his unit crept toward a rundown apartment complex on the edge of the city.

"Alright, men," Casim said, voice low and steady. "Let's not fuck this up. These bitches are crazy, but they're still just three weak girls at the end of the day. We move clean, we move fast. We take them down, we bring them in, and I get my goddamn promotion!"

His squad nodded, weapons and magic ready, eyes glowing faintly in the dark. The artificial sun had long dipped below the skyline, but devil eyes had no trouble piercing through shadow.

One by one, they slipped into the building, boots silent against crumbling floors.

They didn't know who they were dealing with.

But they were about to find out...

Casim and his squad crept through the ruined interior of the building. The walls were stained with mold, insulation poked out of the cracked drywall, and every floorboard threatened to snap under their boots. The place looked like it had been condemned a century ago.

One of the younger guards, Relan, broke the silence in a low voice. "Sir... should we split up? There's a shit-ton of rooms on this floor."

Casim stopped mid-step and glared over his shoulder. "Don't be fucking stupid," he snapped, his voice a harsh whisper. "That's exactly how people get picked off one by one. You ever see a movie? Idiot splits off, idiot dies."

Relan looked down, muttering a quiet, "Right. Sorry, sir."

"We stick together," Casim growled. "Anyone goes rogue, they get left behind. That clear?"

A round of nods followed, more serious now.

They continued, methodically breaching each room on the first floor. Casim took point, his heavy magic-forged gauntlets slamming through every door frame with practiced brutality. Splinters flew. Hinges groaned. Dust filled the air. But room after room came up empty. Just old furniture, collapsed ceilings, and echoes.

Casim's irritation grew with each fruitless sweep. "Where the fuck are they?" he hissed, gritting his teeth.

His squad swept through with discipline, checking corners and closets, but their frustration was growing too. Half of them were getting cocky, the other half jumpy.

After clearing the last room, they regrouped in the building's crumbling front lobby, lit only by the ambient red glow of devil runes outside.

Casim counted heads. He had ten men under his command tonight.

One. Two. Three...

He narrowed his eyes.

"Hold up," he muttered. He pointed at the faces in front of him, his expression tightening with each count. "Where the fuck are Brask and Heller?"

The squad fell silent.

Relan nervously suggested, "Maybe Brask and Heller went up to the second floor ahead of us, sir?"

Casim's eyes flared with anger. His jaw clenched, and for a second it looked like he might hit the kid. "Those jumped-up little assholes," he growled. "Trying to steal the glory for themselves, huh? Figures. Should've known better than to trust any other devils." He turned to the rest of his squad, venom in every word. "I'm the only mid-class devil here! You think I don't know how bad you low-rank bastards want my spot? You're all looking for a promotion, dreaming of Evil Pieces like it's fucking candy. They want to leapfrog me? Not happening!" He didn't wait for a response. With a barked order, he stormed toward the stairs. "Move! We're going up!"

The squad scrambled to follow him, boots thudding against the rotting steps as they climbed to the second floor. The air got thicker the higher they went—hotter too, like something in the building itself was sweating.

At the landing, Casim raised a clenched gauntlet fist. The team halted behind him.

"Spread out. Find those two traitor fucks. They better be alive—'cause I'm the one that's gonna kill them!"

There was a tense silence. Then a voice from behind him, hesitant and uncertain.

"Um... sir?" one of the devils muttered, glancing around. "Where's Relan?"

Casim blinked. Then turned slowly, eyes scanning the group. Relan was gone.

– Selene –

Blood clung to Selene's lips, thick and metallic, and she shuddered—not from pain or exhaustion, but pleasure. A raw, burning surge rolled through her spine as she let out a low breath, savoring the taste. Her leather outfit felt like it had shrunk a size—tight across her chest, clinging to her thighs. She didn't care. She leaned down again, biting into the neck of the third younger devil she'd taken down in the last minutes.

He kicked once, then went still.

Idiots. None of them had figured out what was happening yet. One by one, they were getting picked off by her. They might have been able to see in the dark, but Selene was a vampire!

And she was much, much better at hunting in the dark.

And Valerie had always been right about one thing: devil blood was fucking delicious. It had a richness, a weight to it. It wasn't just blood—it was power. Even with all her centuries of practice controlling herself, three kills back-to-back had her body on fire.

Her thighs trembled. A little more and she might just orgasm… 

She drained the last drop from the devil's vein and let his body fall like discarded meat. Her tongue flicked over her bottom lip, slow and deliberate. Still warm.

From down the hall, she heard the squad leader screaming. "You fucking traitors! All of you! You want my promotion? You want to steal MY future peerage?! I'll bash your skulls in before I let you take it from me!" She heard boots stomping, a crash of splintering wood. "Everyone spread out! Find those three bitches NOW!"

"But sir," a voice piped up, hesitant and nervous. "Didn't you say we were supposed to stick together?"

"Fuck what I said earlier!!" the captain screamed. "I don't trust any of you jumped-up shits not to stab me in the back! Just move, damn it! Spread out! If any of you try to take the credit for this, I'll cave your fucking skull in the same way I will those three traitors when I find them!"

Selene's smirk grew. That made the next hunt even easier. She didn't even have to use her guns and waste any ammo on these fools. It had been a while since she'd hunted like this....

She crouched low and melted into the shadows, licking her teeth as she stalked toward the sound of panicked footsteps. 

Like sheep in a pen with a wolf…

—

Her hunting got sloppier near the end. Each kill sent a fresh wave of heat rolling through her core, and it wasn't just the bloodlust anymore. Her thighs were trembling, her breath came in ragged bursts, and there was a wet, undeniable patch spreading in the middle of her pants. 

Fuck—she'd actually lost control.

Cumming mid-feeding frenzy. She hadn't done that in decades.

Alucard would laugh his smug ass off when he found out. Bastard would probably ask for all the details. He always had a thing for her at her most primal.

Selene leaned against the crumbling wall for a second, trying to steady herself. Her leathers clung tight to her legs, sticking to sweat and slickness. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, still flushed, and forced her breathing under control.

She needed to pull it together. Valerie was still unconscious. If the girl woke up and saw her like this, covered in blood and reeking of satisfaction, questions would be asked she didn't feel like answering...

Selene straightened up and stepped over another corpse, her boots squelching faintly against the pooling blood.

Just ahead, the leader of the devil squad—Casim, if she remembered his name right from all the shouting—was scrambling backward, wide-eyed, dragging himself across the floor with his hands, boots slipping as he tried to get away from her.

"S-Stay back!" he stammered. "W-We're part of the city watch! This is an official—an official response! You're violating—"

She took one slow step toward him, eyes glowing.

"I don't give a fuck who you're with," she said coolly. Selene had already gorged herself on enough devil blood for one night. She didn't need this last one. And, there was something more satisfying about finishing the hunt with a bang.

She sighed, slow and deliberate, then reached into her holster and drew one of her high-caliber pistols. The weapon gave a satisfying click as she flicked off the safety, then leveled the barrel directly at his forehead.

The devil froze, eyes bulging, and then his pants darkened visibly as he lost control. The acrid scent of urine mixed with the blood already coating the ruined floor.

Selene wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Pathetic," she muttered.

He started to raise a hand, mouth opening like he was about to beg, but she didn't give him the chance.

The shot cracked like thunder, echoing off the broken concrete walls and bloody floors. His head popped like overripe fruit, painting the far wall in a fresh layer of gore. His body collapsed backward with a wet thump. Selene exhaled, then holstered the pistol and gave her knuckles a quick shake. "Messy," she said softly.

The hunt wasn't quite the thrill of tearing through a pack of lycans at full moon, but this? This had its own kind of satisfaction. Certainly more... pleasurable.

– Valerie –

"Balance Breaker: the Bloodflame Chalice."

The words left my mouth. My lips moved instinctively, and the moment they did, my crimson eyes flared open.

I sat up with a sharp breath, blinking rapidly. My vision adjusted instantly to the darkness around me. My natural vampiric night vision kicked in hard.

"What the hell is this place?" I muttered. The walls were rotted, the floor cracked and warped. Giant bugs scurried in and out of holes in the wood. I grimaced. "And what kind of fucking cockroach is that?"

"Underworld termites," Runeas snorted from across the room. She was poking one of them with a stick. It hissed at her and scurried off—its body easily a foot long. Because of course it was. "They eat wood, stone, flesh, whatever they can sink their creepy little faces into. Aren't they cute!?"

I gave her a deadpan look. "No..." I hated bugs. There were far too many of them in my cell growing up...

Runeas grinned. "Hey, about time you woke up! I was getting bored as crap hiding out in this dump." She flopped back dramatically onto a half-broken couch. "I even gave you some of my blood to get things moving faster. You're welcome!"

I froze. "Wait. What?"

Her grin widened but she didn't say anything else for a moment.

I blinked, trying to process that. Not only did I get the blood of a noble Phenex but I also drank the blood of the FIRST Gremory? No wonder I felt this powerful. My body practically buzzed with energy. It was like static under my skin—like I could tear through solid steel with my hands if I wanted to. 

I grabbed some of my hair and untangled a few knots for a second to calm down. Gross, I was covered in sweat and dirt. I reached behind my back into the back of my jacket for my Magical Revolver so I could cast some cleaning charms. And that's when I noticed something was missing.

My eyes widened in sudden panic, my hands instinctively patting down my sides, my hips, my back. "Where's my gun?" I blurted out, eyes snapping over to Runeas.

Runeas blinked, then shrugged with exaggerated innocence. "I didn't touch anything! Except, you know, giving you some of my blood, which, by the way, you still haven't thanked me for." She crossed her arms and pouted.

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. "Shit." My fingers tugged through my blonde hair as I tried to retrace any memory. "It must've fallen out of the holster during the camel chase..."

Damn, I liked that gun...

Runeas tilted her head. "Why do you even need a weapon?"

I frowned. "Because I need it to cast magic."

She snorted like I'd just told the world's worst joke. "Maybe you did before, but seriously—whose blood do you think is pumping through your veins now?" Her grin turned smug as hell, pink eyes practically glowing with pride.

I opened my mouth to argue, then stopped. My eyes widened slightly as something... shifted.

My blood was humming. It spread through my arms, my fingertips, my soul. It didn't just feel like magic—I was magic. I didn't feel like I needed a drop of blood or a fancy gun to cast now.

The power was just... there.

Before I could even process what was happening, a surge rushed up from my chest and burst outward—dark, blood-red flames suddenly erupted around me. They weren't hot. Not exactly. More like purifying. Cleansing. They crackled as they curled up my arms and legs, not burning, but erasing every trace of exhaustion, dirt, blood, sweat—everything.

The knots in my hair loosened and fell straight. The tears in my clothes mended. Even my skin felt smoother, renewed. By the time the flames flickered out, I was standing tall, perfectly clean and restored—like I'd just walked out of a magical salon.

"What the hell was that?" I breathed out, stunned.

The power didn't fade. It sat with me—heavy, ready, mine...

"That..." I muttered, eyes still wide, "that was amazing." I turned, heart pounding with adrenaline and raw potential.

Runeas practically skipped over, her grin wide and wicked. Her eyes glowed like a pair of neon pink spotlights. She was examining me for something before she spoke. "Huh, your three cups inside your soul became TWO. And YOU BECAME the third cup? Or more like you fused with it permanently?" she said while putting a finger on her pink lips. "Congrats I guess?"

My thoughts raced. Those words I'd spoken earlier—"Balance Breaker: the Bloodflame Chalice"—they hadn't been random. 

My Healing grail, one third of my sacred gear, had reacted to the devil blood in a way I was not expecting. It hadn't just absorbed the Phenex and Gremory power—it had fused with my soul.

My eyes slowly widened as the realization locked in. I didn't need the Healing grail anymore.

I was the grail. A vessel of fire, blood, and divinity. Instead of just housing it inside me.

I wondered what would happen when I awakened Balance Breaker for the other two Grails…?

"I'll figure the rest of this out later," I said, steadying my voice. Right now it was time to leave the underworld. This trip was pretty much over after the scene I caused. Well... we caused…

Runeas started it!

That was too bad, because I would've liked to talk to Sairaorg's MILF of a mother. I had a lot of questions about her condition and how the grail worked on her. Maybe ask if I could give her an in depth examination? 

Or maybe that was a violation of some kind of bro code? Then again, I wasn't a bro, so fuck it. It was whatever.

I heard footsteps crunching softly over broken tile behind me.

Selene stepped into the filthy room.

Hmmmm...?

Something about her smelled... different. And—was that a blush on her usually much more pale features? Almost like she had just—

I opened my mouth. "Hey, uh—"

She didn't give me the chance. Selene wrapped me in a hug so fast I barely had time to react. Her arms pulled me in tightly, her hand smoothing protectively over the back of my head. "You're awake," she breathed against my hair. "I'm glad!"

I hugged her back immediately, burying my face into her shoulder. "Sorry I worried you," I murmured, and I meant it. I could feel her grip tighten slightly in response.

She pulled back just enough to look me over, her blue eyes narrowing, scanning every inch of me.

She blinked. "You look… good," she said slowly, like she couldn't believe it. "Clean for some reason?"

I grinned. "I awakened an amazing new power. Little something called the Bloodflame Chalice," I said with a wink. "I'll fill you in later, but we should probably focus on getting out of the Underworld for now."

Selene nodded, her face already slipping back into serious mode. "I doubt those devils I killed were the last..."

Before I could agree, Runeas piped up from across the room. "I could send you two back to the human world right now, you know. If you wanted."

Selene and I both turned to stare at her.

"…You what?" I asked flatly.

"Excuse me," Selene had a deadpan expression. "You could have done that this whole time?"

Runeas swayed on her heels and twirled a strand of her crimson hair around her finger. "Well, yeah, but if I'd done that right away, you wouldn't have stuck around to play with me. Duh!"

– Runeas –

…Runeas skipped out of the ruined apartment building like she didn't have a care in the world. Her shoes crunched through broken glass, her long crimson hair swaying behind her with each step. 

Today had been more fun than she'd had in... gods, maybe forever? That nightclub alone had been worth waking up for—flashing lights, drunk devils, thumping bass, and of course, the chaos. 

Glorious, beautiful chaos! It was so much fun! And she made friends too. Friends she'd visit again for sure!

Instead of crawling back into her bead to hibernate for another century, she figured she'd stick around this time. Maybe for a few years. Maybe a decade. Long enough to see what changed in the underworld and human world.

"Food's better too," she muttered to herself with a little grin. "Way better than that crusty crap they served during the Great War! Both MOM and DAD were really shitty at cooking..." 

That war... So many devils probably treated it like ancient history, nowadays. 

But Runeas?

She remembered it like it was yesterday. Because for her, it basically was. A few naps, a few dreams, and centuries had passed. But for her, it was really only a few months ago that the Great War ended... 

Everyone else thought she was a harmless young girl. All soft smiles and pretty eyes. But she was a fucking monster. One who had clawed her way through the most brutal battlefield the universe had ever seen! She had killed gods. She had burned angels!

She had laughed in the face of death more times than she could count!

And now, outside the building, she was met with the sight of over a hundred devils—all geared up and lined up thinking they stood a chance against HER.

They flooded the streets in front of the complex, weapons drawn, wings unfurled, magic glowing in angry colors.

"Get down on the ground!" one of them screamed. "You're under arrest!"

"Give up bastard and accept your fate!"

Runeas blinked at them, tilting her head slowly. The pink in her eyes slowly started to turn BLOOD red... 

It had been funny earlier, but all Devils, even her, had their pride. And she was going to have to remind the Underworld of who and WHAT she was if they forgot...

XXX